Rewriting the Master
by bittie752
Summary: The TARDIS doesn't always take you where you want to go but she always takes you where you need to go. Even if that's the end of the Universe. Immediately follows the events of Rewritten.


**Written as a birthday fic for my friend Bear/Aintfraidanoghosts. Follows the events of Rewritten. Can be read as a stand alone if you ****keep in mind this is Eleven/Rose. Utopia didn't happen while Martha was traveling with them. Jenny didn't get shot in The Doctor's Daughter and they have a son named Ian.**

**~oOo~**

Humans were the ultimate survivors. Even here at the end of the Universe, a not so delightful place that the TARDIS decided would be a perfect destination for the Doctor, Rose and Jack, the humans were still fighting for their lives. They had nowhere to go, no place waiting for them but they were determined to not stick around and wait for their fate. Instead they built a rocket ship to search the stars for their salvation.

Unfortunately for them, the ship didn't work. Professor Yana and his assistant Chantho had done an impressive job creating the circuitry out of organic materials. Now Team TARDIS was here to make the rocket soar. Rose had stayed behind in the lab to help monitor readouts while the Doctor and Jack had gone to fix the couplings underneath the footprint of the rocket.

The two men conversed about mundane things while Jack worked. About Jenny and Ian's travels, visits to see old friends, Jack's various adventures with his vortex manipulator amongst other things. A few minutes later, Jack stepped out of the contamination chamber and thankfully redressed. The Doctor still didn't understand why the man would think that he needed to strip before entering a room filled with radiation. Over the years, the Doctor had learned it was best not to try and understand Jack.

The sound of Rose's voice made him turn around. "Doctor, Yana has a fob watch. Just like the one that you had back in 1913," she yelled as she came barreling down the corridor.

"What?" Turning, he caught her as she ran into him. "Are you sure? How would you even recognize it after all this time?" The Doctor's head was spinning at the improbability of it all.

Rose fixed him with a stern look. "You think that after 300 years with you that I wouldn't recognize Gallifreyan?" Jack chuckled behind the Doctor and Rose glared at her friend. "Besides, it's not like I could ever forget that particular adventure, ta, and Yana started acting all funny when I asked him about it." Biting her lip, she looked away for a minute. "He handed it to me and it… it scared me, Doctor."

The space ship above them rumbled as the last of the human race took off with no particular destination in mind. Just looking for a place where they could try and survive. All of those people blissfully unaware of the sheer madness that was happening down here. "Where is he now? Where's the watch?" The Doctor stumbled back in the direction Yana's lab, not quite sure what to make of what was happening here.

"Yana is back in his lab and I've got the watch," Rose replied. She stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Forcefully she handed over the time piece. "Take it."

Wrapping his long fingers around it, the Doctor was instantly barraged with images. _Death and destruction plagued the Earth. Cities were burned to cinders. The humans who survived forced into labor camps, tortured daily, wishing for the sweet release of death. High above the planet's surface a familiar foe with a new face delighted in torturing the Doctor. Not by physically hurting him, no the Master knew better ways to torture the Doctor. Attack the people he loved, his family. Rose, Jenny, and Ian all bore scars given to them by a mad man._

"No!" The Doctor stumbled backwards as if burned, dropping the watch onto the floor. Rose rushed to his side asking him if he was alright. After assuring her that he was, he picked up the watch by the chair and stuffed it into his pocket. He couldn't let any of that happen. Taking Rose's hand, he said, "Let's go see Professor Yana." Rose squeezed his hand, lending her his strength. After Jenny's progenation and Ian's birth, he may not be the last of his species but whoever this was could be from before the war. Someone that he thought was dead.

It was only a short walk back to the lab, at the doorway the Doctor stopped. "I need. You both to follow my lead and not to mention the watch again," the Doctor's green eyes darkened as he made his request.

"What? Why?" Jack started to question but Rose stopped him.

"We trust you, love." Normally, she would have called him out when he kept secrets and made these types of requests with no explanations. But after so many centuries together she knew that this was not a time to push. Not yet at least. "We're with you, all the way."

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor stepped into the room. Rose stood strong by his side and Jack swaggered in behind them.

"Alright then, Professor Yana," the Doctor exclaimed, letting go of Rose's hand so he could rub his together, nervously. "It appears that you space rocket has been successfully launched into the final frontier, so that means that it is time for Rose, Jack and me to go. Is there anywhere we can drop you off before we take our leave?"

"Chan, there is nowhere else to go tho," Chantho replied sadly.

Rose gave the other woman a small smile. "I'm sure that we can find you both a nice place to live out the rest of your lives. What do you say?"

Shaking his head, Yana returned her smile with a sad one of his own. "My place is here there is nothing left for me out there. However, I see no reason for Chantho to stay if she wishes."

"Chan, no Professor, I will stay with you. Until the end, tho."

The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose's waist. "Well now that that's settled. Jack, Rose let's disconnect the power cables from the TARDIS and leave these lovely people alone. Best of luck to you Professor and to you as well Chantho."

Once inside the TARDIS, they made quick work of disconnecting the cords from the console. "I don't understand, Doc. You can't just leave them here to die. THIs isn't like you."

Clenching his jaw, the Doctor rounded on Jack. "This is exactly like me. There is no place left in the Universe for those two to go. Even their precious rocket is a fool's errand. This is it, end of the line, the end of everything. It may not seem right to you but this is exactly what needs to happen."

"But the watch?"

"Jack, forget the watch. It's not important."

"Not important," Jack argued. "Yana could be another Time Lord..."

"Don't you dare talk to me about Time Lords. You have no idea what he was capable of." the Doctor raged. "The things that he would do."

The wheezing sound of the Time Rotor snapped them out of their fight. Rose had started the flight sequence while they were otherwise occupied. Without another word the Doctor stalked out of the console room.

"What is with him?" Jack asked.

Rose shrugged. "I don't know but he'll tell me in his own time. Just let me handle it, Jack."

~oOo~

The shielding around the TARDIS didn't completely keep out the chill of space when her doors were flung open. In front of the Doctor familiar stars twinkled. His fingers tightened around the chain of the fob watch in his pocket. He was careful not to touch the watch again.

"Who was he," Rose said softly, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Her cheek pressed against his back between his shoulder blades.

He sighed. "My oldest friend and my greatest enemy."

"Koschei?"

Turning to face her, he nodded before burying his head in her shoulder. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "It's my fault." Tears fell against her skin. Gently she rubbed circles on his back, a small gesture of comfort. He needed to let it out, to let just a little bit of that anguish go before he could explain further.

"I as good as killed him," he sobbed clutching her even tighter. "I don't have any idea how he survived in the first place and I left him there to die. To never even know who he really is. His blood is on my hands."

"Shh, I know you Doctor. You wouldn't have done that for no reason, love," Rose whispered softly, lifting one hand to caress his cheek. "Tell me what you saw when you held the watch. No matter how bad it is, tell me. Let me share your burden."

What had he done in any of his lives to deserve a woman like this? He swallowed and pulled back from her slightly. Resting his forehead on hers, he drew on her strength before telling her everything. "The Master would have made himself ruler of Earth. Destroying everything that he could. I saw fire and destruction. He would have taken his fight to the stars. Declaring war on the Universe. Worst of all he would have hurt you, would have tortured you, and Jenny and Ian. Just to hurt me. Because he would know that the worst thing he could have done to me was to make me watch as he tormented the people that mean the most to me."

The Doctor stifled another sob. "I couldn't let him do that. Couldn't let him hurt you or destroy the Universe. And I feel like a monster for it. One more of my own kind that I murdered in cold blood."

"We could go back," Rose said after a long moment. "Let Yana open the watch. Try and reason with the Master."

Abruptly, the Doctor pulled away. "No! I won't risk you or our children like that." He wrung his hands and paced in front of the open TARDIS doors. "There was a time, a past regeneration, where I would have welcomed him back no matter the consequences. Maybe would have even foolishly believed that I could have rehabilitated him. But not now… Now I have to end this once and for all. I have too much to lose."

"Even if that means that you never find out how he survived? Why he was hiding at the end of the Universe as a human?" she asked. "I don't want him to hurt you or our children, my love. I just want to make certain that you're sure."

"I've spent my whole life exploring, solving problems, finding answers and I never thought I'd say this but my curiosity doesn't win out this time." He turned and faced the open TARDIS doors. The distant stars twinkled in his sad eyes. Taking a deep slow breath he reached into his pocket and wrapped the watch in a handkerchief before pulling it out. "He's had more than enough chances; I can't give him another one. Not this time."

Walking up beside him, Rose took his free hand in hers. "What do we need to do?"

"Gallifrey and most of the Kasterborous Constellation are time locked." His voice was much softer than before. "This is as close to home… no it's as close to our home planet as I could get without disturbing it. I thought it was a fitting place to let it… to let him go."

He squeezed her hand before throwing the watch into the depths of space. Not able to look at what he'd done, he let go of Rose's hand and walked up to the console. Quietly, Rose shut the doors and walked over to take his hand once more. "Come on love, let's go to bed," she said softly.

Nodding, he followed her blindly, knowing that he would need her more than ever tonight. He needed her love and acceptance. He needed her to make him better. Because even though he felt that what he had done was the right thing, it didn't take away the pain of what he had just done.


End file.
